Machine for forming buckles on bale ties



April 18 1939 H. E. WERNER 2,154,794

MACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES ON BALE TIES Filed March 5, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS H. E. WERNER MACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES ONABALE TIES April 18, 1939.

Filed March 5, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m1- INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY April 18, 1939. H. E. WERNER 2,154,794

MACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES 0N BALB TIES Filed March 5, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY m m E V m .mJ m u "H. I I I l I I I I I I I l II I l l I I I I l II I L Il 4 o j JJ liu n I\ N$ Sv n J .www MQW mW uwo. H... ..1 Ill ll Il `l ITVI I I III IEITEIFIIIFI.4-3K -I @I WNF M mf.N QN mw Illnun 1MM J n l \wu MMQ l I V\\ In@ .,w.

April 18, 1939. H. E, WERNER MACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES ON BALB TIESFiled March 5, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. BY M AATToRmYj April 18,1939. H. E. WERNER MACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES ON BALE TIES Filed March5, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 NQ kk www A Huil m14/ INVENTOR. [3y jtm( mi,

L/ 6L/@a (i ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMACHINE FOR FORMING BUCKLES N BALE TIES tion of Texas Application March5, 1937, Serial No. 129,110

13 Claims.

The invention relates to a bale tie buckle making machine and moreparticularly to a machine for forming a bale tie buckle as an integralpart of the tie.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and economicalmachine that will form buckles on bale ties at a high rate of speed andinsure uniformity in the finished product.

It is also an object to provide a bale tie and buckle forming machinewherein all steps in forming the buckle are performed automatically andthe machine will operate at a high rate of speed and with a minimum ofattention by the operator.

A further object is to provide a machine that will form a combinationbale tie and buckle from a single piece of bale tie material.

A more specic object is t0 provide a machine that will automaticallyform a socket or buckle upon a tie member by wrapping the tie memberabout itself at one end thereof.

A further and particular objectl of the invention is to provide anautomatic mechanism for carrying out the steps of improvements in theart of bale ties and holders described and claimed in Patent No.1,969,109.

The invention will be more readily understood and other objects will beapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the device of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the machine.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on line 4 4 and line 5 5,respectively, in Figure 1.

Figures 6 to 9 are perspective views showing the successive operationsperformed upon a bale tie in forming the combination tie and buckle.

Fig. 10 is a sectional View taken on line Ill- I0 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged plan View of a portion of the device.

Fig. 12 is a sectional View taken on line I2-I2 of Fig. 1.

In the manufacture of bale ties and buckles of the type for which thedevice of the invention is designed, a denite sequence of operationsmust be performed upon the tie material in order that 50 the buckle maybe formed integral therewith.

The device of the invention performs these operations during astep-by-step movement of the tie through the machine, an essentialoperation being performed upon the tie during the successive intervalsof rest.

The machine comprises essentially a conveyor mechanism designated as Iand a metal forming head generally designated as 2, the latter of whichsequentially performs the necessary operations upon the tie material asthe tie is progressively moved by the conveyor.

The device will be best understood by reference first to the operationsto be performed thereby, as is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 9. The tie andbuckle stock I9 may be of sufficient length to form a complete tie andbuckle or the length thereof may be suiiicient to form only the bucklewith a short projecting end to which tie stock of any desired length maybe secured as by welding or riveting. In either event the rst operationis that of folding the stock at I l through an angle of degrees so thatthe folded back portion is of sufficient length, with the end portion i2of double thickness, as will form the tie buckle.

The second operation is that of bending end portion I2 to form a fold I3at an angle of 45 degrees with the axis of the stock I9 and causingextension I4 to lie in the plane of stock I9 but with its aXis at rightangles thereto. Fold I3 is so positioned that end portion I5 of theoverlap is of suiicient length that a second fold I6 may be formed inthe succeeding operation lby reversely bending overlap portion I5through an angle of 180 degrees, the bend taking place at such distancefrom edge Il of extension I4 that fold I6 is displaced, as at I8, fromedge I'l when the fold is completed. The final operation is illustratedin Fig. 9, which shows the buckle as completed by wrapping extension I4in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed from the l left in Fig. 8,about tie II) and overlapping folds I9.

It should be noted that extension I is of such length that it passesentirely around stock Il] and terminates on the nether side of thestock, as seen in Fig. 9, on the second turn. Attention is also directedto the fact that the superposed thicknesses of metal presented by thisfinal wrapping operation are maintained in spaced relation with thenether surface of the tie to form a socket in the loop through which theopposite end of the tie is passed when used for its intended purpose.

Referring to the gures of the drawings, showing the machine, 3represents a composite frame having legs 4 and a bed 5, upon which theoperating elements are mounted.

The conveyor I comprises a stub shaft 2| and a drive shaft 22, each ofwhich extends longitudinally of frame 3 and is rotatably mounted injournal bearings 23 secured to bed 5. Pairs of sprocket wheels 24, 25,mounted upon shafts 2|, 22, carry conveyor chains 26, to which aresecured carrier bars 21 at spaced intervals. Each of these carrier barsis provided with a cam clamp 28 having a camming lever 29 to clamp andretain tie members IE! thereon during movement of the conveyor as thetie members i2 are carried through the machine upon conveyor i, as isindicated by arrow 39.

'Ihe plate 5 overhangs the end of frame 3 at 40 and carries a driveshaft 4I provided with a driving pulley 42 and a drive pin 13. A stubshaft 44 is driven through gear 45 meshing with pinion 43 and drives acam shaft 59 through pinion and gear 5|, 52.

Shaft 63 is driven from cam shaft 5I) through bevel gears E0 and 6| andhas affixed thereto the driving element of a Geneva drive generallydesignated as 62. By means of the driving mechanism just describedintermittent rotary movement is imparted to shaft 22 whereby conveyor Iis moved in a step-by-step manner to bring tie member |G into successivepositions for operations thereon, as hereafter described.

Mounted upon bed plate 5 is a plate I I2 having a ange I I3 (Fig. 1).This plate serves as a stock gauge for ties IG which are pushed againstiiange I3 preliminary to clamping the ties to conveyor bars 21 bycam'clamps 28. This operation is performed during an interval of rest ofconveyor I.

Movement of the conveyor following the clamping of tie I9 to theconveyor bar carries the end of the tie through a throat 3| inY arm 32to a position beneath a pin 33 on the arm and above roller |09 oncrankIII of shaft 11, which is journaled in bearing I||| on bed plate 5 andoperated in a manner hereafter described.

As is best seen in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the cam shaft 5u has afxedthereto a plate cam 1|) cooperating with a roller 1| on the pin 12through arms 13 of bell-crank 1d, the opposite end of which bears atoothed sector 15. This toothed sector engages gear 16 afxed to shaft11, which, as viewed in Fig. 12, is rotated in a counterclockwisevdirection as roller 1I rides upon the cam surface of increasing radius.The return movement of shaft 11 is effected by the provision of a coilspring 18 surrounding shaft 11 and having one end affixed to the shaftand the other end resting upon bed 5. Increasing tensionY is placed uponthe spring when shaft 11 is rotated by roller 12 riding upon the camsurface ofplate cam 1G. By virtue of this tension shaft 11 is caused torotate in such manner that follower 12 at all times contacts the surfaceof cam 1li.

Gear 96 is also aii'ixed to shaft 11 and drives gear 9| on shaft Y92whereby rotation is imparted to shaft 93 through bevel gears 94, 95. Inthis manner reciprocatory movement is imparted to crank 96 on shaft 93for apurpose that will be made apparent. Y

In a similar manner pinion IBI on shaft 9 2 drives partial gear IUI] towhich is aflixed a pin |02, which serves a function similar to that ofcrank 9B. The particular construction of gear |00 is'such that itpermits bale ties from the preceding operation to pass over itpreliminary to the forming operation to be produced thereby.

A U-shaped support |20 overhangs crank 96 and, in co-operation withanvil |2I, forms a throat |22 into which tie Ii) is carried by theconveyor I. A pressure foot |23 overlies anvil |2| and is movedvertically by a rocker arm |24 pivotedv at |25 on support |28. Theopposite end of rocker arm |24 is `provided with a cam roller |29 forrolling contact upon the cam surface |21 of plate cam |23 on crank shaft50.

A yoke |32 is journalled upon cam shaft 5l) and has bifurcated ends |3|,|32 extending radially therefrom. Guide rod |33 is slidably retainedbetween bifurcations |3I, |32 and is moved longitudinally thereof bycylindrical cam roller |34 in cam groove |35 in the face of cam |36 onshaft 59. Pressure foot |23 is affixed to guide rod |33 and hence thehorizontal position of the pressure foot is determined by cam I 36. Yoke|32 is constantly urged upwardly by compression spring |31 whereby camroller |26 is constantly maintained in contact with the cam surface ofplate cam |28.

The construction just described is designed to receive a bale tie inthroat |22 after a preceding operation. The bale tie is then clampedupon anvil i2! by actuation of parts through cams |28 and |35. Duringthe clamping period crank 96 is actuated to effect desired forming bybending the tie to form fold |3 as indicated in Fig. 7. This formingoperation will be further described in the description of the operationof the machine.

A construction similar to that described in connection with Fig. 10 isshown in Fig. 12. This mechanism is designed to perform the succeedingoperation. The principal distinction of this construction over thatpreviously described is the provision of a standard 49 in lieu of the U-shaped support of the former construction. The remaining elements arereferred to by similar prime numerals.

By referring to Figs. l and 2, it will be seen that cam shaft 59 extendsbeyond the rear of the machine and has affixed thereto a gear |48 whichmeshes with gear |49 on a lower cam shaft |53. This lower cam shaftcarries cylindrical cams |62 and VI 61 which are instrumental inproducing desired movement of bell-crank levers .|69 and |65 pivotallyconnected to base 5 at ||5| and |66, respectively. As is bestillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the opposite ends of these bell-cranklevers extend into the forming throat in which the final wrappingoperation for forming the bale tie buckle is performed.

Bell lever l|62 terminates' in the forming throat in an L-shaped figure|63, which lies below the plane of bale tie I3 on conveyor I. Theconfiguration of the cam slot in'cam |61 is such that finger |53 movesto a position immediately beneath tie I9 so that wrapping of the tiemetal thereabout will produce the socket opening bctween the overlappingmetal on thelongitudinal portion of the tie.

Bell lever |61 terminates in the forming throat in a holding plate |93which normally lies above the plane of the bale tie on conveyor The camhead of cam |52 is of such contour that holding plate |68 moves intoc'o-operative relation with anvil |61 to hold the tie in securely duringthe wrapping operation. f

Wrapping of the end |41 of the bale tie to complete the formation of thebuckle is effected by roller i affixed to crank |69 on shaft |1I. Thisshaft is driven by gear |12 which meshes with teeth on gear |13 on shaft63. The teeth on gear |13 are disposed in groups each of which engagesthe teeth of gear |12 at the proper instant to effect a portion of theturns necessary to Wrap end I e around tie ID.

In order to produce a buckle that is compact, it is necessary toovercome the resiliency of the metal during the wrapping Voperation byapplying pressure thereto to impart the desired set tothe wrapped metal.This function is accomplished by the use of pressure feet 200, 20| onopposite sides of the formed buckle. 'Ihe movements of these pressurefeet are controlled in a manner similar to the control of the movementsof pressure feet |23 and |23 in the above description. That is, thehorizontal positions of these pressure feet are determined by yokes 202,203, which guide rods 204, 205 to which the pressure feet are attachedand which are actuated by cam rollers 203, 20'? in cam grooves 220, 22|in the faces of cams 208, 209, respectively. The vertical movement ofpressure feet 200, 20| is determined by rocker arms 2|0 and 2|| pivotedat 2|2, 2|3, respectively, and having cam rollers 2|4, 2|5 which rideupon the cam surfaces of plate cams 2I0, 2|1 on cam shafts 50 and |50.

It is to be understood that in the normal operation of the device of theinvention a plurality of tie members are passing through the machinesimultaneously and that during the interval between indexing operationsa buckle forming operation is being performed upon each of the tiessuccessively positioned upon conveyor I. The following is a descriptionof the operations performed upon a single tie as it progresses throughthe machine:

Between indexing periods a tie I0 is placed upon the first conveyor bar21 with the end of the tie overhanging the bar and abutting flange ||3of gauge ||2. The tie is clamped in this position by means of cam lever29 on latching mechanism 28. The next indexing operation moves the tieas indicated by arrow 30, the end of the tie passing through thelongitudinal slot in arm 32 to a position under pin 33 and over roller|09 on crank I I I. Shaft 11 then makes a half revolution and bends thetie about pin 33 to form fold I I. When this fold is complete crank I iI returns to its original position under the inuence of spring 18.

As the material of the tie is relatively resilient it loosely surroundspin 33 after the tie is released from pressure exerted by roll |09 andthe tie can then be moved freely from the pin.

The tie l0 leaves pin 33 during the next indexing operation and movesinto throat |22 and under pressure foot |23, which moves downwardly tohold the tie rmly upon anvil |2| through the operation of cam |28 ofrocker arm |24. Crank 96 then turns to form fold I3 in the tie overpressure foot |23 whereby end i4 extends at right angles to theremainder of the tie and I4 is guided in this operation by means ofguide member 01 depending from support |20. The movement of crank 96under the influence of plate cam 10 is such that as fold I3 is nearlycompleted movement of the crank ceases momentarily to allow pressurefoot |23 to be withdrawn from the fold through movement of the rockerarm |24 and guide rod |33. As soon as pressure foot |23 is removed fromthe path of travel of roller 98, crank 93 continues its stroke andreturns to its initial position. At the same time pressure foot |23again descends to apply pressure to form a sharp bend at I3.

The succeeding index moves the tie into position for the thirdoperation, which is similar to the second operation except that themetal is folded directly back upon itself as is shown in Figure 8. Inorder to perform this folding operation, the tie passes over segmentedgear I0 and under pressure foot |23', which descends and firmly holdsthe tie upon anvil |2| while roller |02 folds the metal at I6 over foot|23'. After roller |02 completes its stroke and returns to normalposition, pressure foot |23 again descends upon the top of fold I6 topress the metal down, as shown in Figure 8.

The tie with the partially formed buckle is then indexed into positionfor Wrapping the end I4 about the tie. The partially formed bucklepasses between blades |03 and |68 of bell crank levers |30 and |35 andpressure foot 20| rests rmly upon blade |03 and the superposed tie I0while roller |20 begins wrapping end I4 about the overlying folds |0. Ascrank |39 revolves pressure foot 20| moves from the path of roller |10by the co-operative operation of guide rod 205 and double internal cam200. After roller |10 makes a complete turn it dwells while upper andlower pressure feet 200 and 20| move against the socket to supplypressure to compact the folds of the metal. Pressure feet 200 and 20|then move from the path of roller |10 to permit the final wrapping ofend I4 to take place and to permit roller |10 to return to its originalposition. Again both pressure feet move into contact with the socket forfinal pressure. As soon as this pressure is relieved finger |03 andblade |63 are withdrawn by means of cams |02 and |31 and respective belllevers |30 and |65. In the succeeding indexing operation lever 20 of camclamp 28 strikes stop 34 mounted on frame 5, and the integral tie andsocket are released to fall from the device upon further indexingmovement of the conveyor.

While the foregoing is a description of the specific preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that variousmodications may be made Without departing from the spirit of theinvention, which is intended to be limited only by the terms of theappended claims as viewed in the light of the prior art.

The invention claimed is:

l. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, means for reversely bending an end ofthe tie to form an end portion of double thickness, means for foldingsaid end portion across the tie to form a transversely extendingportion, means for reversely bending the folded portion upon the tie andmeans for wrapping the transversely extending portion about the tie toform a socket for receiving the tie end.

2. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal in combination, means for reversely bending an end of thetie upon itself to form an end portion of double thickness, means forfolding said end portion across the tie, and means for Wrapping thetransversely extending portion about the tie to form a loop having thereverse bend underneath the wrapped portion so that expansion ofmaterial confined by the tie and holder will press the bend against theWrapped portion.

3. In a machine for forming a socket upon a bale tie the combination oftie feeding means, means for reversely bending an end of the tie uponitself to form an end portion of double thickness, means for folding thesaid end portion across the tie to form a transversely extending loop,means for wrapping the transversely extending loop about the tie to forma socket, and means for indexing said tie feeding means to bring the tiesuccessively into operative relation with the forming means.

4. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, means for reversely bending an endportion of the tie to form a length of double thickness, means forfolding said end portion across the tie, means for reversely bending thefolded portion upon the tie with said end portion extending transverselytherefrom, a finger to move into juxtaposition with the tie, and meansfor Wrapping the end portion about the tie and nger to form a socketintegral with the tie.

5. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, means for reversely bending an endportion of the tie to form an end portion of double thickness, means forfolding said end portion across the tie, a nger to move intojuxtaposition with the tie adjacent the fold, means for Wrapping saidend about the tie and finger, and means for applying pressure to thesocket thus formed whereby a compact socket integral With the tie isformed.

6. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, conveyor means, means for scouring thetie to said conveyor with the end of the tie to be formed into a holderprojecting therefrom, and means for forming the holder on said tieduring the movement of said conveyor means.

7. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, conveyor means, means for securing thetie to said conveyor With an end of the tie projecting therefrom, meansfor forming a holder from the projecting end of the tie during themovement of said conveyor means and means for releasing the tie andholder from the conveyor When the holder' is completed.

8. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, means for feeding metal strip to beformed into a bale tie with a holder formed integral therewith, meansfor folding an end portion of the tie to extend transversely from saidstrip, and means for Wrapping said transversely extending Vportion aboutthe tie to form a loop for receiving the tie end.

9. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from a tieof sheet metal, in combination, Ymeans for folding an end portion of thetie to extend transversely from the tie, a finger to move intojuxtaposition with said tie adjacent the folded end, and means forWrapping said end about the tie and nger to form a socket integral Withthe tie.

10. In a machine for forming a combination bale tie and holder from atie of sheet metal, in combination, means for folding an end portion ofthe tie to extend transversely from the tie, a finger to move intojuxtaposition With said tie adjacent the folded end, means for wrappingsaid end about the tie and finger, and means for applying pressure tothe socket thus formed, Whereby a compact socket integral With the tieis formed.

11. In a machine for forming a socket upon a bale tie, the combinationof tie feeding means, and means for reversely bending an end portion ofthe tie upon itself to form an end of double thickness.

12. In a machine for forming a socket upon a bale tio, the combinationof tie feeding means, means for reversely bending an end portion of thetie upon itself, and a forming mechanism operating at an angle to thetie feeding means for HENRY E. WERNER.

